Albus Potter Year One
by Duke Drachen
Summary: Albus goes to his first year at Hogwarts, and some unexpected things happen.
1. The Train

Chapter 1:

Albus climbed into the Hogwarts Express for the first time in his life, and he was, though he didn't want to admit it, pretty nervous. His cousin Rose Weasley was next to him, her trunk right next to her. Albus's older brother, James was already off with his friends, dragging his trunk behind him.

"We'd better get going, Albus," Rose said, "we'd better find a compartment before they're all taken." Rose looked extremely nervous, her ears had turned bright red, just like her father's did when he was embarrassed or angry.

"Yeah," Albus replied, "I suppose we should."

The two of them set off down the corridor, dragging their heavy trunks behind them. They finally found an empty compartment. When they had their things inside, they hung out the window to wave to their parents. Albus's eyes started to water as he waved, the fact that he wouldn't see his parents again for nearly a year made him kind of sad, but the prospect of going to the highly famous school, Hogwarts, excited him beyond any excitement he had ever felt in his life.

"Well, we're off to Hogwarts!" Rose said excitedly as the train turned a corner, and Platform Nine and Three Quarters went out of sight. Her ears were still pink, and she looked incredibly happy.

"Yup," Albus said, "I can't wait to get there!" He replied as he sat down, his nervousness now turning into excitement. "I wonder what house we'll be sorted into, I can't wait till the Sorting." He said, he was still nervous about the Sorting, he really didn't want to be in Slytherin.

"Me neither," Rose said, "Oh, I hope we're in Gryffindor!" She responded. "You know, both my parents, and your parents, and Grandma and Grandpa Weasley were in Gryffindor?"

"Yeah, I know, I really hope we get sorted into Gryffindor." Albus said. He was still thinking about what James had said about him being sorted into Slytherin, even though his father had told him about Severus Snape.

As the train wore on, it started raining very hard outside. The rain was so thick Albus and Rose couldn't see more than a foot outside the window, but it was getting dark outside so they probably wouldn't be able to see much anyways. Their sweet supply was getting low, seeing as it had been about three hours since the lady with the trolley had come by.

The compartment door slid open, and Albus's older brother, James walked in. "Hey, Al," he said, "you ready to be in Slytherin?" He asked with a smirk.

"Shut up!" Albus yelled at his brother. "Just leave me alone!"

"Slytherin!" James shouted as he walked out and closed the compartment door. James could get so annoying sometimes.

"Oh, it'll be fine." Rose said, trying to tame her bushy red hair with a comb unsuccessfully. "The Sorting Hat will know where to put us," Rose said, "It'll be fine."

"Yeah…" Albus said, pulling his black school robes on.

As they got off the train, they heard a deep, booming voice yelling "Firs' Years, Firs' Years over here!" It was Hagrid, the half-giant he had heard so much about from his father. "How yeh doin' James?" He boomed to Albus's older brother.

"Fine." He heard James shout back.

"An' there's Albus!" Hagrid boomed, having just found Albus in the crowd. "Come on, you Firs' Years! Come on!"

Hagrid led the First Years to the Black Lake, where boats were waiting for them. The rain had died down, but it was still sprinkling, so they were all cold and damp.

"No more'n four ter a boat!" Hagrid yelled, taking up an entire boat himself.

"Come on Al!" Rose piped, pulling on Albus's arm, trying to get him to get into her boat.

"I'm coming!" Al replied, clambering into the boat.

And the boats took off. They glided across the dark water, all the children looking up at the great castle, the lit windows like little stars on the dark surface. The grounds of Hogwarts were completely amazing, the hills, and forests, and all.

"Come on, all of yeh, we're going into the castle now!" Hagrid boomed as the boats stopped at the opposite bank. All of the children clambered out of their boats, sopping wet now and getting cold. Hagrid led them into the castle, and told them to stay there in the Entrance Hall.

The Entrance Hall was amazing, but Albus didn't have time to admire it now, somebody was coming out of the Great Hall. It was Neville Longbottom. Albus knew him quite well, since he was a good friend of the Potter family.

"Hello, First Years," The round faced man said, "In a few moments you will walk through these doors, and be sorted into your Houses." A little bit of talking broke out at those words. "Excuse me, excuse me," Neville said, "As I was saying, you will be sorted, and then you will sit at the House tables you have been sorted into. We will tell you when we're ready for you." At those words Neville left the First Years standing in the Entrance Hall, winking to Albus and Rose as he closed the large door to the Great Hall.

"Oooh! I can't wait!" Rose piped, her ears turning pink.

"Oh, look, red hair, freckles, astoundingly stupid, and bushy hair. This must be an offspring of a Weasley and Granger." A cold drawling voice sounded from behind them. Rose and Albus turned around to see whom was talking to them, and found it was none other than Scorpius Malfoy.

"Shut it, Malfoy." Albus said, getting angry.

"Oh, do be quiet, Potter." Malfoy drawled back.

Albus was about to yell at Malfoy, but just at that moment Neville came back through the large doors, and said "We are ready for you now."


	2. The Sorting

Chapter 2 – The Sorting—

Albus and the other First Years fell into a line behind Professor Longbottom. They followed him into the Great Hall, where they felt hundreds of eyes upon all of them. Neville went up next to a stool with a ragged out hat sitting on it, this must be The Sorting Hat that decided which house everybody would be in.

There was a little bit of muttering amongst the First Years. Albus looked up, and there were hundreds of lit candles floating in the air above the students, and above that, the ceiling. For a moment, Albus thought there was no ceiling at all, he could see up into the clouds. He saw lighting flash across the sky, then the booming thunder shook the Castle.

"It's bewitched," Rose began to explain, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside, my mom told me about it." Albus looked at Rose, who was shaking with excitement and nervousness.

Everybody's eyes were upon the Sorting Hat, then the First Years all gasped and jumped when it suddenly broke into song.

_"Oh, I can see where you should be!_

_You cannot find a better hat than me!_

_You may just be in Gryffindor,_

_The Brave of Heart this House is for,_

_Or maybe a cunning Slytherin,_

_Where the ambitious can always find their kin!_

_Or are you an old Hufflepuff,_

_If hard working and loyalty is your stuff,_

_Or maybe, just maybe, you belong in Ravenclaw,_

_Where dwell the brightest of them all!_

_So put me, on, don't be shy,_

_And I shall put you where you ought to be!"_

"Okay, when you hear your name, please come up and place the Sorting Hat on your head, to be sorted into your Houses when I call you!" Neville said, unrolling a scroll in his hands.

"Abbott, Alicia!" Neville yelled, and a girl with flushed cheeks and long dirty blond hair ran up to the Sorting Hat and placed it on her head.

It took awhile for Alicia Abbott to be sorted, but finally the Sorting Hat yelled, "GRYFFINDOR!!!" to an outburst of cheers from the Gryffindor table.

"Azersmith, Alexander!" Neville yelled.

A boy with jet black hair and tan skin walked up to the stool and set the Sorting Hat upon his head, it slipped over his eyes. It took much less time for the Sorting Hat to decide this time. It screamed "SLYTHERIN!!!" less than a minute after Alexander Azersmith had placed the Hat upon his head. Cheers erupted from the Slytherin students. Alexander placed the Sorting Hat upon it's stool, and walked down to the Slytherin table.

Albus didn't pay much attention, until he heard Neville yell "Malfoy, Scorpius!"

Scorpius Mafloy walked up to the Sorting Hat, looked down at everybody as he sat on the stool as if they were trash. As soon as The Sorting Hat touched his head, it roared "SLYTHERIN!!!"

"I knew it!" Albus and Rose muttered under their breaths as Scorpius walked down to the cheering Slytherin crowd.

"Potter, Albus!" Neville called out a few moments later. Neville winked at Albus as he walked up to The Sorting Hat.

"Ah, a Potter, I see." The Sorting Hat said into Albus's head. "You're tricky, just like your father and brother, but I know the best places for you. I can see you're worried about being put into Slytherin, but don't you worry, that's not where you belong, yes, really." The Hat said. "But wait, you don't belong in Gryffindor either, I think the best place for you, has got to be, RAVENCLAW!!!" The Sorting Hat roared the last word to the entire Hall.

Roars and shouts and cheers erupted from the Ravenclaw table. Albus set The Sorting Hat back onto the stool and went down to the cheering Ravenclaw table. Albus looked over at the Gryffindor Table as he sat down, and he saw a dumbstruck look on James's face. James turned to one of his friends and started talking with him, the friend also had that dumbstruck look on his face.

When Rose was called, she looked fairly scared as she set The Sorting Hat upon her head. The Sorting Hat remained on her head for a full minute, before it roared "RAVENCLAW!!!"

After the last student, (Zeal, Samuel, "RAVENCLAW!!!") had been sorted, Professor McGonnegal, the Headmistress, got up to make a speech. She looked positively ancient, but she walked swiftly, and she had no hump in her back. Her gray hair was pulled back into a bun, and she was wearing velvet green robes with a matching hat.

"Welcome back, students, and welcome, to our new students, too!" She called out to the Hall, she had a brisk voice, she seemed a little bossy, but kind too. "As usual, the list of banned items is listed outside the Caretaker Filch's office, the forest on the grounds is off limits, and magic is not to be used in the corridors." She said to the Hall. "Also, we have a few changes in staffing this year, Professor Butterwitch has retired, so to fill her place as Transfiguration Teacher we have Professor Dean Thomas," There were some applause to this. "also, Professor Merrywethether has also retired, so to fill her place as Defense Against the Dark Arts we have Professor Archie Randow." There were also applause for this new teacher too. "Now, we all must be starving by now, so, let's eat!" As she said the last two words of that sentence she clapped her hands and food magically appeared on the golden plates in front of them.

"I can't believe we're the only people in our family who aren't in Gryffindor!" Rose said, but she didn't seem sad, she seemed excited to be different from the rest of their enormous family.

"Yeah, me too. It was kinda scary waiting to be sorted, but I'm happy with Ravenclaw." Albus replied.

"So you two's whole family has been in Gryffindor?" A blonde haired boy said to Rose and Albus. Albus recognized the boy as Samuel Zeal.

"Yeah, who're you?" Rose asked the boy, apparently she didn't realize the boy was the last person to be sorted.

"Samuel Michael Zeal," the boy said, "But you can just call me Sam." The boy had a friendly voice, and a kind smile.

"I'm Albus Severus Potter, and this is my cousin, Rose Weasley." Albus said to Sam.

"Wow, a Potter." Sam said.

The plates cleared and the desserts appeared on the table. They all started eating the wonderfully cooked cakes, pies, ice creams, and puddings. There were sweets and sugary drinks all over the table. All three of them stuffed themselves.

"So," Sam began, "What classes are you two most looking forward to?"

"Transfiguration," Rose said, "I can't wait to turn something into something else!"

"Charms for me," Albus said, "From what I hear, it sounds like a fun class, but Professor Flitwick looks positively ancient."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Sam said, "I wonder how old he is. Anyways, I can't wait for Defense Against the Dark Arts."

As the desserts disappeared from the tables Professor McGonagall stood to speak again. "Since we have all filled our bellies, and you all should be pretty tired by now, so, off to bed with you all! Good Night! Be prepared for classes tomorrow!" She yelled to the hall, and there was a lot of scraping and talking as people got up to go to their House common rooms.

"First Year Ravenclaws, First Year Ravenclaws, follow me, follow me!" A girl with straight, waist length brown hair and glasses called. She had a prefect badge pinned onto her robes next to the Ravenclaw coat of arms.

The First Year Ravenclaws followed the girl through the castle, up many flights of stairs, through some doors, through bits of wall that were really doors, and on some moving staircases, the staircases, the prefect girl said had been designed to move by Rowena Ravenclaw herself.

"This is the entrance to our common room," The girl announced, gesturing towards a round wooden door with a knocker and a bird head in the middle, "the way you get in is you use the knocker, and answer the question, if you get the question wrong, you have to wait for somebody who knows the answer. That way, you learn something!" She told the First Years. "Let's see what the question is!" She said as she rapped the knocker onto the door.

The bird's mouth opened, but instead of a bird caw coming from it, a musical voice asked the group a question: "What does an Erumpet Horn do?"

Rose, hopping up and down, raised her hand.

"Yes," the prefect said, "do you know the answer?"

"Yes, I do!" Rose piped, "They explode at the slightest touch, they're a class B non-tradable object, according to the Ministry of Magic!"

"Wow," a girl in the crowd said, "Somebody knows their Erumpents!"

"What?" Rose asked, her ears turning red, "My Mom told me!"

The door had swung open without any of them noticing. "Er… guys, are y'all coming in or not?" The prefect girl said.

"Oh!" half the crowd said, and they all stepped into the Ravenclaw Common Room. It was as spacious room, with tables and dark blue furniture all around the room, the dark ceiling had stars painted on it, and there were many windows in the room. There was a large bust of Rowena Ravenclaw wearing a diadem, with the words "Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure!" written on it.

"Welcome to the Ravenclaw Common Room," the prefect girl said, "the girls dormitories are behind the door on the right of the room, and the boy's dormitories are behind the door in the left of the room. Both are at the top of the dormitory staircases.

"Good Night Rose!" Albus called to Rose as he walked towards the Boy's dormitories with the other First Years.

"Good Night!" She called back.

The First Year boys found their dormitory at the top of the winding dormitory staircase. They went inside and their trunks were at the end of the blue draped beds. Everybody climbed into their beds, Albus and Sam exchanged Good Nights before closing the hangings around their beds and going to sleep.


End file.
